Gear for handling and adventuring with your Perfect Pup:
Think of this like gear that you use for climbing. It is not to control the climber, but the enable them to perform at their freest and best capacity and protect them from injury if they do in fact fall.
Harness: pick one that allows for good movement, with lots of space over the shoulder blades and does not clip over the shoulder blades.
Biothane Long Line: this is not for tie-out purposes, but for long-line training. The best tool for when your puppy goes through the teenage months and is disinterested in you, their boring human, and more interested in their environment. I like the long lines that are waterproof and that don't get stinky or knotted up.
Retractable leash: NOT to be attached to collar around the neck! I do not recommend these for beginner dog trainers or handlers. These are to be attached on a harness only.
Winter booties: Not all dogs will need booties, but it helps when the snow clumps up bad between their toes at certain temps. The iditarod-style booties seem to stay on the best and aren't so expensive when they are lost in the snow. Most places sell them for about $20 for 4 booties. My girls run through the woods daily so we haven't tried anything fancier after an initial attempt only lasted 5 minutes until they fell off in the snow.
Food:
I feed my puppies raw meals that I prepare myself. They eat about two pounds a day by 16 weeks old. This includes 10 percent organ meat, 20 percent raw meaty bones, 20 percent raw organic non-starchy vegetables and the rest, raw meat. I buy it human grade. I include an egg every day along with various supplements that include omega 3 oils (if I am not feeding salmon daily), spirulina, chlorella, kelp, manganese, the list goes on. Set up a Puppy Coaching appointment with me and I can teach you to get comfortable with raw feeding, transitioning to raw, or incorporating real food into your dog's diet. A raw organic whole chicken will make up about half of my puppy's daily diets.
While I believe that dogs should be fed a fresh, species-appropriate diet, I know that the reality is, most people might not understand just how important it is for the health and longevity of their dog. People that get my dogs are encouraged to take the time to learn how to do it. Most people haven't ever considered choosing to spend that much time or money on their dog. I do, because I want my best friend and family member to live a long, full, healthy life. And my dogs almost never go to the vet, and will almost never need to.
There are recently a lot of raw, premade, frozen or freeze dried dog foods coming on the market now. Check them out if you can't do it yourself.
The Honest Kitchen is a human-grade dog food. It is also dehydrated instead of heavily processed and denatured. Way better option than kibble. My dogs aren't thrilled about it, but they are used to real food and more, species-appropriate, meat.
Organic dog food might be a good choice as well (less chemicals, less cancer)
Avoid legumes: Peas, Lentils, Pea flour, Garbanzo, Soy. You get the idea. Dogs are NOT vegans. Isoflavones have been shown to mess with important hormone receptors and prevent your dog from developing properly.
In all honesty, if you want your dog to live longer, do the work and feed them a raw or home-cooked diet.
Keep it simple. Single ingredient treats are the best. Chicken, beef, pork, butter. I used to use some freeze-dried Toppers daily during our training sessions UNTIL I decided to start making freeze dried HUMAN GRADE training treats for my girls myself! I feel so good about these treats that I have decided to start selling them. They are so high value that they have already been approved by dog trainers and dog owners alike.
Buy a treat pouch, chalk bag, or fanny pack to wear on walks, and have treats stashed around the house so that you can pay your puppy for good behavior in a timely fashion
Toys and bedding: Think Non-Toxic!
How can I promote longevity by avoiding extra chemicals? Buy non-toxic laundry detergent and cleaners without chemical fragrance. Buy toys that don't smell!
West Paw Design is a pretty good start. Amira chewed their Hurley bone for 100 hours EASY when she was teething. (See image above. She loved that bone) They have various options
Puller rings are awesome and highly recommended for teaching your dog to retrieve. Check out their site. And seriously, just do yourself a favor and buy a pair.
Tuffy Tough durable plush and fabric toys are so worth the money, and less in the landfill. They last a lot longer, even with a power chewer like Amira was.
Bones and Sticks: Give your dog a raw (uncooked) knuckle bone to keep their teeth clean. Let them chew on sticks. If they are allowed to chew on their environment as little puppies, they won't be that dog that eats things they shouldn't eat.
Beds: Have a quilt or wool blanket (not chemically treated) that you can wash on the regular. Puppies chew their dog beds, puke, pee, poop on, or chew bones on them. They need to be washable. There are also a lot of chemicals in the stuffing they put into dog beds, so be aware of that.
Grooming:
Artero brand is by far the best that I have encountered for clippers, brushes, combs, and all your doodle fluff needs. Learn to groom your own dog and you will save hundreds of dollars a year. Many doodles require daily grooming and have hair that continues to grow and must be shaved or trimmed.
De-matting slicker brush
Long metal pin brush
Fine tooth comb (I use the super fine teeth comb on Nali)
Large nail trimmer
Professional Grooming Clipper with the 10 blade and the longest blade they sell in the store (if you regularly comb through your doodle's entire coat)